India Will Soon Get Its First Batch Of Female Fighter Pilots, IAF Chief Announces On Women's Day

It’s a proud moment for the country and a progressive step at that. Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha just announced that the country will get its first batch of female fighter pilots on June 18 this year.

"As of now three women trainees have volunteered to join the fighter stream. They are under the second phase of their training. Once they complete their training and are at par with their male colleagues and the passing out parade is scheduled on June 18th," he told ANI.

And very soon on 18th June this year Indian Air Force will get its first woman fighter pilot: IAF Chief Arup Raha pic.twitter.com/pYi8vWtVr4

"As of now three women trainees have volunteered to join the fighter stream. They are under the second phase of their training. Once they complete their training and are at par with their male colleagues and the passing out parade is scheduled on June 18th," Mr Raha said further.

Until October 2015, women were not inducted as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force. The decision to allow them to be trained, and subsequently fly, as fighter pilots was taken by the Defence Ministry last year. Raha, who was speaking at a seminar on women officers in Army Medical Corps, praised the Defence Ministry’s decision to allow women fighter pilots in the IAF.

Including women as fighter pilots in the Indian air force is a welcome step and promotes gender equality like nothing else. Equality encompasses both rights and duties, and if one demands equal rights for themselves, it only makes sense that they share the duties equally too. And what better duty there is than protecting one’s country?